Unable to Shift to Park...

[eNate]

Like the title says, my i3 failed during three consecutive stops today to engage Park.

We'll call that Problem 1, which resulted in the next two problems.

Problem 2 is the car won't allow me to remote-lock my door while left in this condition (neutral with the parking brake engaged). I can pull off the lock cover and use the key.

Problem 3 is the charging hatch won't automatically unlock. I have to pull the manual release thingie if I want to open up to charge.

Coincidentally, I installed my Wokeby Trunk Extension about two weeks ago. I'll need to pull that out to make sure I (or it) didn't do something to pull on the wires that engage the Park mechanism on the gearbox. I suppose I'll need to pull it out anyway if I'm going to take the car to BMW for warranty work.

I came across this post that suggests tapping on the Park module and looking for gunk: https://www.speakev.com/threads/bmw-i3-drivetrain-error-wont-go-into-park-fix-for-free.143865/

I've also read a post that a faulty shift selector was diagnosed, but it ended up being this same module.

https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3813

My fingers are crossed that this is one of those "self-resetting" problems that magically goes away after the car is left to completely power down.

 

[vreihen]

I have never put my car into Park. It automatically engages Park by itself when I turn it off. I think you're on the right track by looking for loose/chafed wires by the trunk extender.....

 

[eNate]

Last night after getting home, the problem continued, so wouldn't engage Park four times total, all consecutive occurrences.

The car sat overnight and the whole morning, unplugged, until 2 PM. On my way to work I stopped for coffee and it shifted to Park! Then again, at work, it shifted to Park!

So that blows a hole in a theory about a damaged wire to the Park module, but I'll take a peek at it on Monday anyway.

 

[eNate]

...and it's back again!

So, while waiting a service appointment at the dealership, my burning question: how many times can I get away with opening my charging port using the blue "emergency" pull-tab before it snaps?

 

[vreihen]

My record is zero. The knob snapped off the cable the first and only time that I tried to use it.....

 

[eNate]

Today I removed the Trunk Extension and located what was described at the link I referenced as the Park Module.

I gave it a swift tap with the chunky tow adapter that comes with the car's fix-a-flat kit. I powered up, reversed a few inches, and when I shut down, Park engaged. Worked again later in the day.

I drove it like this, including on the freeway, with the hole in the cargo floor opened up, and wow does this thing make a lot of noise! The security guard at work popped open my liftgate and gave me a "That's really nice!" Nice. Yeah well... 'cause it's sitting still! (...and I had all my stuff piled in the front seat )

Anyhow, here are a few pics of the module in question. The wiring looks to be intact, so I don't think the trouble lies there. But I find it curious the way the wire loom stops short and there's this sharp bend with the wires all exposed, and there's the coolant hose that looks like it normally comes in contact right at the end of the loom and could potentially be a wear point down the road.

Pic 1 is the general location of the Park Module (green arrow)
Pic 2 is me pushing down the coolant hose to expose the view of the module
Pic 3 is shot from the down low, looking up at the electrical connector, with the coolant hose in its normal position

http://www.****oodog.net/images/i3/i3-park-module1.jpg

http://www.****oodog.net/images/i3/i3-park-module2.jpg

http://www.****oodog.net/images/i3/i3-park-module3.jpg

 

[xsherlock]

Hi,
Any chance you ce reupload the pics as links are now broken and I have exactly the same problem
TIA

 

[eNate]

Hi,
Any chance you ce reupload the pics as links are now broken and I have exactly the same problem
TIA

They're still there. Right click and open in a new tab. They're hosted on a non-https server so no longer display in inline text.

 

[EvanstonI3]

I see the pics just fine in my web browser

 

[alohart]

I see the pics just fine in my web browser

Me, too, in Safari under macOS. No need to do anything special to view them. Wonder what's different with Web browsers that don't display these photos inline.

 

[eNate]

Browsers handle it in different ways, but there was a security change in 2020 or 21 to how an https site should display http (non-SSL) content. From my experience Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge (Chrome based) are affected. Old MS Explorer was never updated. I hear Firefox may put up a warning banner if mixed content is detected? Haven't tried Safari.

As I understand it, allowing non-secure callups into a secure environment poses a security vulnerability.

 

[Pmck]

Last night after getting home, the problem continued, so wouldn't engage Park four times total, all consecutive occurrences.

The car sat overnight and the whole morning, unplugged, until 2 PM. On my way to work I stopped for coffee and it shifted to Park! Then again, at work, it shifted to Park!

So that blows a hole in a theory about a damaged wire to the Park module, but I'll take a peek at it on Monday anyway.

Hi! Currently sitting at a dealer with same problem. I lost the ability to shift into park almost 2 yrs ago and I’ve been driving it daily since then. Finally getting tired of it and I can’t find a tech knowledgeable enough to make the repair here in the LA area. The dealership’s best solution is to replace the entire gearbox, for about 5K. That’s not happening on this 2014 i3, so I’m intrigued by ideas for an easy fix. Any way you could DM me??